This article appeared in the Fall 2015 issue of Pulse Crop News.

After being cancelled in 2013 due to one of the largest weather disasters Canada has seen, the Canadian Special Crops Association (CSCA) conference returned to Calgary in late June with a packed agenda for participants.

The event kicked off with salutations from federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Gerry Ritz. The conference included International Year of Pulses updates and information sessions, panels on maximum residue limits, market access and transportation, economic outlooks, the national MISSION: IMPULSEIBLE student food product competition and, the highlight for most of the trade, market outlooks.

The Alberta Pulse Growers was present and active in many areas of the conference. APG staff was asked to present to the International Delegation in collaboration with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. This enabled the global pulse industry to learn more about what Alberta can offer the world. In addition, Allison Ammeter, APG’s Chair and the Canadian Chair of International Year of Pulses, participated in two sessions. Ammeter led one session presented in a talk show format about Canadian IYP activities. She also provided an update for all delegates on Canadian and international IYP celebrations. Both sessions helped to build the excitement for IYP programming.

APG directors Doug Sell, D’Arcy Hilgartner and Don Shepert also attended the conference. Executive Director Leanne Fischbuch and Food and Nutrition Coordinator Debra McLennan attended on behalf of the APG staff. In addition to the conference, Zone 2 coordinated and successfully hosted a tour for international guests immediately after the conference ended. By all accounts it was very well received and may possibly be a highlight of the event for the international traders. See page 12 for a story about the tour.

Conference delegates attending the gala dinner were also the first to learn who won the national MISSION: IMPULSEIBLE competition that took place during the event. The Alberta team placed third with its Peamon and Peacolate Tarts. See the Summer 2015 Pulse Crop News for more details on this product, which won the provincial competition with just the lemon flavoured filling. When the team worked with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry staff at the Food Processing Development Centre, they developed an additional flavour for their tarts, so they presented both a lemon cream cheese and chocolate cream cheese filled tart to the national judges. First place went to Mount St. Vincent University, Halifax with a Coco Bean Cake and second place was awarded to the University of Saskatchewan team for its Pulsiano Pizza.

Meanwhile, Blair Roth, a longtime leader in the pulse and special crop industry, was honoured with the CSCA President’s Award at the conference banquet. Presented by CSCA President Murad Al-Katib, Roth humbly accepted the accolades. Roth has been active in the Alberta industry for many years and was a key part of the evolution of the Alberta Pulse Growers Association into the Alberta Pulse Growers Commission over 26 years ago. Roth participates as a non-voting advisor for APG’s Zone 1, serves as Prairie Pesticide Minor Use Consortium (PPMUC) Chair and joins APG and others at the Pulse Industry Roundtable. He has also seen the evolution of the special crops industry through his role with the Bow Island and Taber bean plants in southern Alberta. Roth has completed his term on the CSCA board and stepped back from those duties, but his knowledge of history will be relied upon for CSCA strategic planning purposes in the next year.